Digital Chaos and EFL Teachers’ Digital Wellbeing: A Qualitative Study

Abstract Teachers are under increasing pressure to use technology in order to provide students with the most up-to-date information and help them to get ready for life in a globalized and electronically linked society. Related to the use of technology, however, is the issue of digital disarray which includes digital distraction (i.e., distraction caused by information overload), digital disorder (i.e., the spread of misinformation and disinformation), and digital disconnection (i.e., the inability or unwillingness to engage constructively with differences, often due to a lack of self-awareness and understanding of one’s own worldview) (Pegrum and Palalas 2021). Moreover, recent studies have demonstrated a connection between teachers’ wellbeing and their use of technology, which can contribute not only to their job satisfaction but also productivity, thus requiring researchers in this line of research to draw their attention to teacher digital wellbeing. In this vein, the present qualitative study seeks to find out about the key challenges that English as a foreign language (EFL) teachers face due to digital disarray, and how these challenges affect their digital wellbeing. The data was collected through semi-structured interviews with 21 EFL teachers who were selected through snowball sampling, considering those who regularly used educational technologies in designing their classroom activities. The interview data, analyzed through a hybrid thematic approach, identified three main categories: Digital overload’s impact on teachers , false information undermining teachers’ credibility and teaching and the impact of digital devices on teachers’ intra/interpersonal ties . The findings of this study underscore the need for educational systems to prioritize teacher digital wellbeing and professional development to prevent issues caused by digital disarray. Furthermore, the study offers targeted recommendations at both macro (policy/institution) and micro (individual/classroom) levels to help mitigate these hurdles and promote teachers’ digital wellbeing.